Blood Pressure #86

You have noticed  recent postings have focused more on our health issues and causes rather than exercise and specific foods.  I felt we should spend some time trying to understand the basics of what poor cardiovascular health is and it's causes.

What is high blood pressure, and what are the causes?  Well it is not as simple a subject as I thought it would be.   First thing that I thought of when my doctor told me I had high blood pressure was I had been using to much table salt.  Bet you did too.  First let us find out what is good and bad blood pressure.  Less than 120/80 is normal.  Above 140/90 is considered stage 1 hypertension. Stage 2 hypertension is over 160/100.  I would consider that to be getting in the area of dangerous. High blood pressure is the physical result of your heart having to work harder and pump more blood to reach all the areas of your body.   The more blood pumped and the narrower the arteries the higher the blood pressure.  The exact cause is not known but some known factors that contribute to this condition are.  Smoking, being overweight, lack of physical activity, too much sodium, stress, genetics, and others. If you have untreated high blood pressure  you are four times the risk of heart disease and seven times the risk of having a stroke.  If left untreated your heart can become muscular and enlarge leading to heart failure or heart attack.  Blood vessels can harden or become damaged, and aneurysms can occur leading to stroke.

If you can reduce your blood pressure your heart will be working with much less effort and the force on your arteries will decrease.  The Mayo Clinic suggest losing weight, especially reducing the weight around, and the size of your waistline.  Also to exercise on a regular basis, eat a healthy diet, limit your sodium intake, and to regularly monitor your blood pressure.

I have found several sources they state the same.  "It takes two to three months of regular exercise to have an effect on your blood pressure."   Most of you know that I take my blood pressure daily, usually once in the mornings and again in the evening.  Cindy records it and we are sure my cardiologist reviews it each time we go in to his office.  I mean if all he knows is that one reading when your pressure is taken when you go to his office every six months, that is not going to be too helpful to him or you.  He needs more information to determine your progress or lack of and what treatment you need.  You should consider doing the same, it would be useful to you and your doctor.

What is the systolic pressure?  That is the top number which is the pressure in your arteries when the heart beats and is pushing blood through.  The diastolic is the lower number and is the amount of pressure in the arteries while the heart is resting between beats.

We will get back to some healthy foods and exercise beginning in the next post.